So I’m sitting in a runway at Edinburgh airport. It’s 6am and Schipol is running at a reduced capacity due to high winds. Looks like my connection to Oslo will also be delayed. Now we have a race against time.

I’ve been two weeks in the Bruichladdich Family, and as expected there are adventures and opportunities everywhere.

My first week was spent on Islay at the distillery helping to produce spirit with a shipment of Orcadian Bere barley, a notoriously difficult variety to work with. There were thrills and spills as I was unleashed in Warehouse 2 with a valinch and shown the pure water source on Octomore farm with the legendary James Brown, all of which deserve their own posts, which I’ll try to get round to.

Despite the warm welcome and incredible brand transparency, it was really only yesterday that I felt really at ease in my new role. I was privileged to grab 5 whiskies from our excellent range and present them to 100 students at the Edinburgh Water of Life Scoiety. A bit of a homecoming for me as I studied Astrophysics here, but also new ground as I was too busy bartending and tour guiding at Glenkinchie to join the Society whilst at University. I was excitedly nervous to say the least!

What I found was an open, eager and downright curious group of students ready to appreciate and question every single aspect of the Whisky industry. A potential tough crowd, but when you have the integrity and belief in your product that Bruichladdich inspires, you can’t help but take joy in the fact that these evenings exist.

A worthwhile exercise and wonderful insight into the future of our Whisky drinking public. The future’s looking good, the bling bubble has burst and quality of product is going to be the only thing we Whisky drinkers look for in years to come. Question your brands, I may not have all the answers, but I’m more than happy to find them on your behalf!

Cheers,
Craig

P.s. if anyone would like an evening with Bruichladdich send details to me at craig@bruichladdich.com and I can forward event details, as well as investigate providing a private evening with myself and the most exciting of Single Malt Whiskies on the shelve today!

@WhiskyCraig is heading to Oslo!